Words That Turn Into a Wish
by thelittletaco
Summary: "Inuyasha, I swear that if you don't stop saying mean things to everyone, I will pray to the gods above to take your voice away!" But maybe she should've been a little more careful when saying that.
1. Definitely Not Sick

**_Disclaimer:_** _I do not own Inuyasha. Inuyasha belongs to Rumiko Takahashi._

 ** _A/N:_** _This document was written months ago, but I was never able to find the right time to post it. I'm guessing that this is going to have less than ten chapters, but it can possibly be longer. And updates will be monthly since Bloodshed already takes like two weeks to update._

 _Also, this has been edited on 31st January because of a dialogue I had written which was "...like a woman on her period". I apologise to anyone who was offended. I'm a female myself, so the thought of possibly offending others didn't occur to me. Again, I apologise._

* * *

 **Chapter 1:**

 ** _Definitely Not Sick_**

* * *

Inuyasha felt feverish and light-headed. He had no idea why he hadn't been feeling well for the past few days, but he guessed that these were the times when even sickness could overcome his healing abilities. He had felt sick like this once, about 25 years ago, and he had hoped that he would never have to face it again. Of course, luck really wasn't on his side and he _had_ to face it again.

The problem was that when he's sick, he becomes crankier, and easier to get annoyed. It was probably to release the frustration of having to pretend that he was fine. Earlier, he had knocked Shippo harder than usual, causing the kitsune to cry in pain, and earned himself an 'osuwari'. Then, the monk tried reasoning with him and he started yelling. After that, Kaede tried easing the tensed situation, and he ended up calling her several _ugly_ names. At last, he decided to keep his distance away from everyone before he goes on a rampage.

He sat under the Goshinboku; its trees giving him enough shade to block out the sunlight. He covered his mouth when he started coughing. His illness was getting worse; which means that this was a critical time for him. He closed his eyes and leaned his head at the bark of the tree. The illness will eventually go away, but it took him two weeks to recover the last time he got it. It seemed that he just had to hold on until it ends. It wasn't as if he was going to die from it.

"Inuyasha! There you are!"

He flinched as he heard Kagome's voice being so near, and he quickly masked his sickly expression into a grouchy one. Kagome emerged from the trees, her face unhappy, and her arms crossed.

"Keh. What do you want, wench?" Inuyasha snorted.

"What is wrong with you today?! You've been yelling at people nonstop! You hit Shippo-chan, you shouted at Miroku-sama, you called Kaede-baachan names... I just can't understand you!"

"Maybe I _don't_ want to be understood! Now leave me alone!" Inuyasha shouted. He wished he could've said it while standing, but he doubt that he had the energy to do it.

"No," Kagome said and narrowed her eyes. "You _will_ apologise to Shippo-chan, Kaede-baachan and Miroku-sama for your behaviour. I don't want to hear excuses, Inuyasha."

"You can't force me, you shrilly, annoying–"

"Osuwari!"

Inuyasha's face landed on the hard ground, and he almost immediately regretted saying those words. His head felt like it might explode. But because his anger was as high as his sickness, of course he had to reply with a muffled, "You ugly, hot-tempered–"

"Osuwari!"

Again, his face was slammed to the earth, and he could've sworn he heard his skull crack. He laid on the ground for a few seconds, before slowly getting up. Once he was up, Kagome glared daggers at him, as if daring him to insult her one more time.

"You're so loud and annoying, you damn wen–"

" _Osuwari_!" this was probably the loudest command he had ever heard from her today. His face hit the ground, and it took some kind of willpower for him not to lose his consciousness. "Inuyasha, I swear that if you don't stop saying mean things to everyone, I will pray to the gods above to take your voice away!"

With those last words, Kagome stomped away. Inuyasha gave himself a few more minutes before he could lift himself off the ground. His body swayed and his head throbbed. He held his forehead, and squinted his eyes to focus on Kagome's leaving form. He eventually saw three of her, and he ended up closing his eyes instead.

 _Well too bad, wench_ , Inuyasha thought weakly as he laid his head again at the bark of the tree. _Until I die, you won't stop hearing from me whether you like it or not._

* * *

Kagome furiously pushed aside the flap of Kaede's hut; her footsteps heavy and thumping the wooden flooring. Kaede, Miroku, Sango, and Shippo looked at her as she plopped to the ground, her arms folded across her chest, and her nostrils flaring. They all inched away, just so that they won't be the target if she decided to suddenly attack people.

"Kagome-chan, would you like some tea?" Sango offered, practically feeling the flames of Kagome's anger.

"No thanks," Kagome huffed and closed her eyes. Everyone waited in suspense, knowing what was coming next. They didn't have to wait long. "That jerk! After what _he_ did, he had the audacity to call me names, and... and...!"

"You actually talked to him?" Miroku asked, raising a brow as he sipped his tea.

"Yes, and he called me ugly, hot-tempered and _others_!" Kagome snapped. "I had enough with his attitude! I promise you, if I hear one more of his insults, he's going to taste dirt for the whole day!"

Shippo bobbed his head in agreement. "Man, I don't get it. Inuyasha smells a little funny, but I don't understand what that has to do with him acting so mean at everyone."

Everyone whipped their heads to Shippo, and the kitsune jerked back by everyone's stares. They all eyed the kit, making the child clearly uncomfortable.

"What did you say, Shippo?" Miroku asked carefully.

"Inuyasha smells a little different today," Shippo said, and gave a slight shrug. "Only a little. I've been trying to figure out if that has to do with his grumpy behaviour."

"Could it be that Inuyasha is not feeling well?" Kaede commented.

"No, he's clearly fine. He acts like his usual self, except scarier and much more sensitive this time," Shippou waved the matter off nonchantly.

"But knowing Inuyasha, isn't he an expert when it comes to hiding his pain?" Sango stared and looked at Kagome. "I mean, the last time he broke his arm, he acted like this too, just for the sake of us staying away."

Kagome looked remorseful. "I... I didn't remember about that. If it's true, then that would explain why he didn't get up immediately after I 'sat' him. Oh god... if he really is sick, then I just hurt him more! We have to check on him!"

Miroku bent down and grabbed his staff. "We better hurry then, Kagome-sama. Because I can feel a demonic aura approaching near the forest, and it's coming fast too."

* * *

Inuyasha emptied the contents of his stomach a few meters away from the Goshinboku. He had been throwing up a lot lately, and his appetite wasn't all that great either. He panted as his eyes were locked with the mess he made. He quickly wiped his mouth and turned around to head back to the Goshinboku.

"S-Stupid wench..." he stammered. He stopped and felt his forehead when his head became dizzy again. "Damn it... the pain wouldn't stop..."

Just then, something caught his eye, and the next thing he knew, he was knocked to the ground; his back hitting the hard earth. He looked up and found a youkai over him. The youkai had slits like a snake, and by the tongue that sticked out with a hiss, Inuyasha could unhappily confirm that, it indeed, was a snake youkai. The problem was that, even if this snake youkai was some weakling, he didn't have enough strength to get him off after he had just finished vomitting.

"What the hell?! Get off me!" he said as he swiped his claws at the reptile's face. "Sankon Tessou!"

The snake youkai easily dodged his claws; only having to move his face a little to the left. "My, my, look what we have here. My brothers will be pleased to have you as our dinner..."

"I'm not going to be food for the likes of you!" Inuyasha shouted as he struggled to get the youkai off him. "Dammit! Get. Off!"

The youkai gripped Inuyasha's neck, choking the hanyou. Inuyasha winced when he felt stinging around his neck, and his eyes widened as the snake smiled cunningly at him.

"You talk big for someone who is weak," the snake youkai hissed. "You are a hanyou, are you not? Learn your place, and accept that I will do the world a favour by getting rid of an abomination."

Inuyasha's throat was on fire, and he wished so badly that this illness wasn't weakening his body. Now, all he could do was watch as the world blurred, and pain errupting from his throat. His efforts to release the choke-hold on his neck proved to be futile, and he could feel his limbs drop at his side.

"Inuyasha!"

Kagome's voice was the last thing he heard before he was consumed by darkness.

* * *

Kagome and the others were running at top speed. Kagome continously repeated Inuyasha's name in her head; her heart beating twice as fast at the anxiety that grew in the pits of her stomach. She regretted every 'sit' she had given to Inuyasha for the past few days. If Inuyasha was really sick, then she had made his condition worse by slamming him to the ground. If only she could see through his facade, she wouldn't have done it.

Her eyes widened in horror as a youkai was on top of Inuyasha, its hands surrounding the hanyou's neck. She watched as Inuyasha's hands fell limp, and his half-lidded eyes close. Without further thought, she pulled back her arrow, filling it with an amount of her spiritual powers, before releasing towards the youkai.

"Inuyasha!" she shouted.

The arrow hit the youkai, and the youkai hissed in pain, before dispersing in the air. Everyone hurried to the unconscious hanyou. Miroku bent down on one knee, inspecting Inuyasha's injuries. He gasped at the sight of Inuyasha's slightly burnt skin around the neck. The veins around it were visible to see thanks to the green hue; indicating that poison was coursing through.

"Inuyasha has been poisoned," Miroku announced.

Shippo sniffed the air and covered his nose. "I smell vomit from here."

Kagome stiffened. "Oh my god, then it's true... Inuyasha has been sick and I haven't realised a thing."

"Houshi-sama, we should bring Inuyasha back to Kaede-sama," Sango said as she placed a hand over Miroku's shoulder. "He will die if he doesn't get treated."

"Right," Miroku said as he turned to look at Kirara. "Kirara, do you mind?"

Kirara mewed and transformed into her huge cat form. With a nod from both, Miroku and Sango lifted Inuyasha up onto the nekomata. The taijiya and the monk were surprised that the hanyou weighed less than they thought. They _did_ notice that Inuyasha had barely eaten the past few days, so this must've been the result. And the vomit also explains why he had disappeared often.

At the sight of Inuyasha, Kagome subconsciously gripped her bow at her side, following her friends from behind in silence.

* * *

"Kaede-sama!"

Upon hearing Miroku's voice, Kaede stood up as fast as she could. Before she could even approach the group, Miroku had beat her to it by violently pushing aside the flap, one of his arm was supporting Inuyasha's waist, while one of Inuyasha's arm was over Miroku's shoulder. The monk quickly, yet gently, placed down the hanyou on a mat, laying his head on the piece of fabric.

Wasting no time, Kaede got to work. She placed a hand over Inuyasha's forehead and took note that the hanyou was burning up. Then, she checked for other injuries, and found out that Inuyasha's neck was poisoned.

"Kagome, Sango, please get me a bucket of water. Inuyasha has a high fever," Kaede ordered and the two hurried out. "There is poison that mainly comes from his neck. Houshi-dono, how long has Inuyasha been poisoned?"

"About a few minutes ago."

"I see," Kaede stood up from Inuyasha's side. "I will be gathering some herbs to remove the poison. If Sango and Kagome returns with the bucket of water, please place a wet cloth on top of Inuyasha's forehead, it might help his fever."

Miroku nodded and Kaede left the hut as well. Miroku placed his staff down and sat cross-legged beside the unconscious hanyou. He ran a hand through his dark hair. His brows furrowed as the hanyou's face scrunched up and twitched. Earlier today, he had been confused and slightly hurt when Inuyasha had shouted at him, but now, he understood well what made the hanyou on edge.

He didn't notice Shippo sitting beside him, only staring at Inuyasha with a frown.

"Will Inuyasha be okay?" Shippo asked sadly. "He's never been this sick before, unless it's his human night."

"His human night _is_ in a few more days, but it doesn't affect him unless it's the day when he turns human," Miroku responded. "I believe... he has lied to us when he says that he doesn't get sick."

"We got some water!" they both heard Kagome shout.

Kagome hastily placed the bucket down, while Sango searched around for a cloth. The taijiya returned and handed the cloth to Kagome. Kagome accepted it with a faint thanks, and quickly dipped the cloth into the water, squeezed out the excess, and placed it slowly on top of Inuyasha's forehead. She pressed the cloth gently and shifted into a kneeling position.

No one said a thing for a while. The silence broke only when Kaede entered. The old miko brought back some herbs and started making medicinal tea to take the poison out of Inuyasha's body. Soon, she finished making it, and Kaede handed Kagome the cup, since she was the nearest to Inuyasha's face right now.

"Let him drink it," Kaede said. "It will help him get rid of the poison out of his system."

Kagome nodded and gently lifted Inuyasha's head with her free hand. The hand holding the cup brought the item closer to his lips. Carefully, she tilted the cup slightly higher, and watched as the liquid entered through the hanyou's slightly parted lips. She allowed the water to flow slowly inside him, not wanting him to die out of choking in the process.

Once the cup was empty, she placed it down and lowered Inuyasha's head back onto the mat. Inuyasha's scrunched up face soon turned into something more relaxed, and they all sighed in relief that, at least, the hanyou wasn't getting any worse.

"Kaede-baachan, is there something wrong with Inuyasha?" Kagome asked with a frown. "We haven't notice it before, but my guess is that he's been sick for a few days now. He also doesn't seem to heal as fast as usual. I don't understand. I thought youkai doesn't get sick?"

"That is what ye may believe, Kagome," Kaede responded, her eyes casted on Inuyasha. "However, there _is_ an illness that can truly affect a youkai. It is a rare disease. No one really knows where it comes from, and it chooses its victim randomly. It has no cure, but ye won't die from it. It will be gone in about a week, though, since he is a hanyou, I believe it would last a little longer," she said, and added, "I'm surprised that he was able to mask his sickness so well. Due to his half-human status, he should take the illness worse than a pure blooded youkai."

"And I 'sat' him _three times_ when he has it," Kagome said bitterly to herself.

All of a sudden, there was a slight movement, and Inuyasha's eyes flew open. Before they could ask whether he was feeling okay, the hanyou shot up and out of the hut. Everyone hurried after him, Kagome being the fastest as she foresaw the hanyou's reaction.

Kagome reached the hanyou first, who was sitting on his haunches behind Kaede's hut. She could immediately hear the sounds of gagging, followed by the sounds of throwing up. In order to help him, she collected all of his silver hair in one hand, and held it high so that it doesn't get caught with the vomit. She crouched low and started rubbing circles on his back, earning herself a death glare from the pale hanyou – which she ignored.

"Kagome-chan!" she heard Sango call. "Is Inuyasha–" the taijiya stopped when she saw the said hanyou. "Inuyasha!"

By now, Inuyasha had finished emptying whatever was left in his stomach. He stood a little too fast, causing him to sway violently, but Kagome supported him fast enough before he could collapse. He narrowed his eyes at her, wanting her to not treat him as if he was _that_ weak, but her eyes held some kind of determination and she refused to let him go.

"Inuyasha, thank goodness," Miroku approached, with a Shippou perched on top of his shoulder. "Are you alright now?"

"I'm _fine_ , stop worrying about me so much," Inuyasha snapped.

But his eyes widened when he couldn't hear the words come out of his mouth. He tried talking again, but his voice wouldn't come out. He glanced at his friends, whose eyes were also widen. He took a step back. At first, he thought he had gone deaf, but that couldn't be possible; since he had just heard Miroku talk a few seconds ago.

His eyes widened in horror.

It couldn't be...

He couldn't have _possibly_ lost his voice.

Kagome was the first to interrupt the silence; which confirmed his worst fear when she said, "This _cannot_ be happening."


	2. No Voice

**_Disclaimer:_** _I do not own Inuyasha. Inuyasha belongs to Rumiko Takahashi._

 ** _A/N:_** _Sorry for the late update. I was actually stuck, and had no idea how to continue it. But don't worry, everything's solved now. And from now on, updates will be every two weeks._

* * *

 **Chapter 2:**

 ** _No Voice_**

* * *

Kaede pulled her wrinkly fingers away from Inuyasha's neck, and let out a deep sigh.

"It seems you truly _have_ lost the ability to speak," she stated, and watched as Inuyasha's eyes go widened. "Do not worry, Inuyasha. It is only temporary. If ye were in a better condition, it would've healed by now. Unfortunately, ye are suffering from the illness, and it is slowing yer healing abilities. Though, I'm afraid ye won't be able to talk for a while."

Inuyasha nodded, before whipping his head to the side when he caught the scent of salt. His golden eyes widened when he spotted Kagome attempting to wipe the tears that had flowed down her cheeks.

"I'm so sorry, Inuyasha! I-I didn't mean for it to really happen! I wasn't serious when I said I wanted your voice to be taken away," Kagome blurted out, as her sobs increased. "This is all my fault, I–"

Since Inuyasha couldn't do his usual talking to cheer her up, he decided to use action. He grabbed both of her shoulders – earning her attention – and stared until her eyes met his. After successfully earning her gaze, he shook his head as an indication that she was not at fault. Unfortunately, this only earned him a new wave of tears, and now, Kagome was crying even more.

He scratched his head and let out a sigh. How he was going to cheer her up, he had no idea. Thankfully, Sango offered to comfort the young miko, and Inuyasha sent a grateful nod her way. He then stood up to head outside of the hut, but all of a sudden, the place started spinning. He quickly placed his hand on the wall for support. Damn, he had totally forgotten about his illness for a moment.

"Inuyasha?" he heard Kagome call, before feeling a pair of arms holding him. Her face made its way to his line of vision, and he was glad that she was no longer crying. Though, now, she looked worried. "Inuyasha, where are you going? You should rest."

He shook his head and continued heading towards the flap of the hut. Sitting in here was making him sick, and he could already feel the vomit rising at the back of his throat.

"Inuyasha, before ye leave, ye should drink this."

He paused in his steps. He glanced towards Kaede's direction, before motioning to Kaede. He sat down, cross-legged, against the old miko. Kaede held out a glass of water, and he could tell that it was one of her medicinal tea. However, instead of taking the offered glass, he simply stared at it. The thing smelled bad, and he wondered whether it was really worth it to drink it. It wasn't as if his illness was going to go away after drinking it.

Kaede sighed. "I know what ye are thinking, Inuyasha, but trust me. If ye drink it, it will make ye feel slightly better."

The word _slightly_ with _better_ was making him hesitate. He didn't want to drink it, but right now, his head felt dizzy, and he hated it. He could only hope that after drinking it, it would help relieve some of his pain. Swallowing thickly, he brought the glass to his lips, and started drinking the tea. As expected, the thing was _awful_ , and he felt like throwing up as it entered his mouth.

Kaede must've noticed his reaction, because he heard her say, "Ye musn't spit it out."

After he managed to force the tea down his throat, he placed the glass down, and covered his mouth as vomit threatened to escape from his lips. When the acidic taste left his mouth, only then he removed his hand. He waited for a few seconds, before he felt the effect of the tea to take over. The tea wasn't helping much, but at least the dizziness he felt wasn't as bad as before.

He stood up and walked towards the exit of the hut. He heard Kagome call his name for him to stay, but he ignored it. He _really_ wanted to stay inside and curl up into a ball, but he just couldn't stand being inside that hut. He needed some fresh air. Suddenly, the image of the Goshinboku appeared, and he couldn't help but find the tree appealing at the moment. Even if he had been recently attacked there, it was the only place he could think of that would make him feel comfortable. This time, however, he would sit up on the branches, and not on the ground. That way, he wouldn't be an easy target.

He was less than halfway to the forest, before he heard a voice. "Inuyasha, wait up!"

He stopped and turned around. Kagome was running towards him, and he furrowed his brow. What was she doing here?

"I just... I can't leave you alone. Let me come with you, okay?"

He felt the urge to roll his eyes at the way she was treating him, but fought against it. He nodded instead, and continued walking to where he was planning. The Goshinboku was getting close, and he couldn't wait to leap onto the branches and sleep like the dead.

As they reached the forest and getting nearer to the tree, Inuyasha froze. He sniffed the air, and his face paled at the scent that hit his nose. He couldn't believe it. Of all days that person could choose to visit, he decided to choose _now_? Why was fate being so cruel to him?

Kagome must've noticed him tense. "Inuyasha, is something wrong?"

His ears swiveled to every direction for a sound. He looked at Kagome, and gave her a sign to step back. She nodded in understanding, and did what she was told. He rested his hand on Tessaiga's hilt. There was no way he could win against that guy – especially in his current condition. But there was no way he would allow Kagome to get hurt either.

"Inuyasha."

He almost jumped at the cold voice. Luckily, he had caught the sound of footsteps heading towards his direction at the very last second. Exhaling deeply, he slowly turned around to the last person he wanted to see today. There, stood Sesshomaru – who was staring at him with the same impassive mask he usually wore.

"Sesshomaru? What is _he_ doing here?!" Kagome exclaimed, and gasped. She turned her head to look at him, "Inuyasha, you can't fight!"

 _As if I don't know that_ , he thought. Slowly, he unsheathed Tessaiga, and pointed the sword towards his brother's direction.

Sesshomaru glowered at him from head to toe – as if examining his current state. Then, his eyes narrowed. "Pathetic."

He wanted to open his mouth and tell him to shut up but then he remembered that he couldn't talk. So, having to let go of the first option – which was to reply to the daiyoukai with an insult – he continued to stare at his brother. No, more like glaring daggers at him. He had no idea how effective his stare would be, but it was the only thing he had right now. Well, he _did_ have Tessaiga, but if he started a fight now, he probably wouldn't make it out alive.

Sesshomaru raised a brow. "It surprises this Sesshomaru that you lack your verbal speech, Inuyasha."

He assumed that his brother wasn't aware that he had been poisoned earlier. It did happen a while ago anyway, so the scent of poison must've been faint. Besides, the scent of his illness must be overpowering the scent of the poison, because Sesshomaru doesn't seem to be aware that he couldn't talk. Again – since he couldn't respond to his brother by talking – he continued to stare at him.

His silence eventually annoyed his brother, because now, Sesshomaru's eyes were narrowed into slits. Without warning, a grin whip had formed from Sesshomaru's hand, and now, the whip was swung to his direction. He barely had the time to push Kagome out of the way before she gets hit. Luckily for him, he managed to dodge the whip too, but his breathing had become laboured just by the mere action. He slowly came to a realisation that he didn't have the strength for a battle.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome shouted, before propping herself with her elbow. She lifted herself up from the ground, and looked at Sesshomaru. "What's your problem?! Can't you tell that he's sick? He can't fight!"

"Whether he can fight or not – it is not this Sesshomaru's concern."

For some weird reason, Sesshomaru was irritated that Inuyasha wasn't talking. The hanyou was confused. Sesshomaru had always hated him when he talks, so why was he mad that he _wasn't_ talking? Is it because his brother thought that it was a sign of defiance? If so, then he was in really big trouble.

"Inuyasha, look out!"

Before he even had the time to defend himself, Sesshomaru was already right in front of him, and had landed a kick right at his stomach. The pain that shot through his abdomen made him drop Tessaiga. He bent over in pain, and his hands wrapped around his stomach. As he staggered backwards, he didn't notice the fist that was flying to his face. The fist connected with his head, and he found himself collapsing to the ground. His head pounded, and the pain at his midsection was still there. His vision was blurry all of a sudden, but he could see his brother's feet stepping closer to him.

"Sesshomaru, stop! Please, _stop_!" he could hear Kagome cry out. She was suddenly standing in front of him, blocking Sesshomaru's way. "Please! Inuyasha's sick, and lost his voice because a youkai poisoned him. He has suffered enough!"

Everything was replaced with a silence, and Inuyasha wondered what his brother's expression looked like right now.

"Inuyasha lost his voice?" came the response that was devoid of emotion.

"Yes..."

"Hmph. Pathetic."

 _Yeah, you said that_ twice _now_ , Inuyasha thought bitterly, but made no move to get up. His vision was getting clearer, and the pain in his stomach was slowly becoming toleratable. Though, his head was still pounding.

He heard the sound of shuffling, and guessed that Sesshomaru was leaving. Before his brother left, he heard him say, "This Sesshomaru will fight when the hanyou is worth fighting."

Kagome let out a sigh, and she turned around to look at him. She crouched at his lying form, and pushed some of his bangs that had covered his face. "You okay?"

He mouthed the word, "No."

She only nodded, and helped him to sit upright. She then looked around, and returned Tessaiga to him. He nodded as a thanks, and kept the sword back into its sheath.

"Inuyasha."

He glanced at her, and she looked like she was contemplating whether to tell him something or not.

"Um... do you want to head back to the Modern Era? It's much safer there, and you can heal peacefully. If we stay here, you might get attacked again. Do you... do you want to go there? I mean, we _are_ running low on supplies anyway, and–"

Knowing that she _wanted_ him to go there with her, he nodded. It earned him a sigh of relief, and a huge smile. She helped him to stand up, and they both started walking back to Kaede's hut. They entered the hut, and everyone turned their heads to face them.

Miroku frowned. "Is everything all right?" he then noticed that Inuyasha had his hand over his midsection. His eyes widened. "Were you attacked?"

"It was Sesshomaru," Kagome answered, and everyone in the hut gasped. Inuyasha could see through the corner of his eye that she was looking at him. "He got a little beaten up, but at least there are no serious injuries."

"Oh my god, are you two okay?" Sango asked, and stood up to look at the hanyou's injuries.

Kagome answered that she was fine, and that Inuyasha was the only one that got attacked. Said hanyou waved his hand nonchantly at the taijiya as she started to examine where he got hit. She sighed in relief at his gesture, and took a step back.

"Um, I'm going to bring Inuyasha back to the Modern Era," Kagome announced, and started keeping her things into her giant, yellow backpack. "We'll be coming back once he's healed. Is that fine with you guys?"

"I think it's a good idea," Sango said with a bob of her head. "It's safer at your time, so he'll be able to rest without getting worried that he'll be attacked."

"I agree. Besides, it's not like there are any rumours about jewel shards," Miroku added. "We'll wait for you to come back in a few days."

Kagome nodded, and slid her hands into her yellow backpack. She turned around to face everyone, and waved goodbye. "Goodbye everyone!"

Inuyasha and Kagome headed out of the hut. The two of them walked slowly. Well, Inuyasha was the one that was walking slowly. He could tell that Kagome was walking slowly only to match his pace. He felt so weak all of a sudden, and wanted to yell in frustration. Because of this stupid illness, he became weak, lost his voice, _and_ had his butt kicked by his older brother – and it became worse when Sesshomaru showed him mercy. It took all he could to try and calm the building rage. Just a few more days, he thought to himself. After he passed his critical state, he would get better. He probably had to suffer one more day before he starts feeling better. And when he starts healing, he'll soon be back to normal. Thinking that he was going to feel better, he was able to calm himself down.

They both finally reached the well. Kagome stared at it for a while, before turning her head to face him. "Can you jump inside?"

He rolled his eyes – as if to say that it wasn't going to be a problem.

She nodded, and started climbing at the lip of the well. "I'll jump first and give you a minute. If you're not at the other side after sixty seconds, I'm coming back for you, okay?"

He scowled at her, and she sighed.

"I'm just worried about you, Inuyasha."

His eyes went downcast, and he nodded in understanding. She smiled, before jumping into the well. The well momentarily glowed with a pink light, before Kagome disappeared. He stared down into the empty bottom, and hoped that travelling to the other side wasn't going to be painful.

Going to the other side wasn't actually painful, but he had no idea what this illness might do to him.

With a deep breath, he climbed over the well, and used a few seconds to stare at it.

Then, he jumped.

* * *

 ** _A/N:_** _Not much of a cliffhanger, but the next few chapters are going to be fun to write. Inuyasha staying at the Modern Era had always been my favourite._


	3. Nurse Kagome

_**Disclaimer:** I do not own Inuyasha. Inuyasha belongs to Rumiko Takahashi._

 ** _A/N:_ **_Sorry for not posting this earlier, I was busy celebrating my grandma's birthday._

* * *

 **Chapter 3:**

 _ **Nurse Kagome**_

* * *

 _Thirty-seven_.

She couldn't take it anymore. She knew that she had given him a minute to travel to the other side of the well, but he was taking too long. Or maybe she just wanted to reassure herself that he was safe – and that he was taking his time to enter the well. She took a deep breath. Just a few more seconds. If he isn't here in another fifteen seconds, she was going to jump back into the well.

 _Forty-four_.

That's it.

She swung her yellow backpack off her shoulders, and climbed over to the lip of the well. As soon as she was about to jump inside, the well glowed, and the hanyou that had her worried was finally here. Though, he doesn't seem to be in a good state. His face was pale, and he looked like he was about to collapse.

Before she could help him climb out of the well, he had beat her to it by jumping out. Unfortunately, that jump must've cost him a lot of his strength, and was a little too sudden, because he was now vomitting over the well house's floor. She shrieked as the contents inside his stomach was thrown out of his mouth; splattering all over the floor. Luckily, she was fast enough to grab her backpack, and leapt away from where he was aiming his own vomit.

She noticed that he had stilled while he was on his haunches. She took a few steps closer; careful to avoid stepping onto the mess on the floor. "I-Inuyasha?"

A small jerk from his head made him move again. He slowly stood up, and was swaying when he tried to walk. She eventually had to support him with her arm, and at the same time, prevent him from dropping onto his own vomit. Worry took over her, and she looked up to see his face – only to find the colour of his face drained. He looked like all of his strength had just been sucked out, and if it was possible, she could say that he looked way worse than when he first arrived.

As she tried to lead Inuyasha out of the well house, she screamed at the top of her lungs. "Mama! Mama, come quick!"

Mama Higurashi came out a second later, her feet dashing towards her direction. "Kagome?" she said, and her eyes fell onto the very pale hanyou. She gasped. "What happened?"

"Mama, Inuyasha is very sick. He just vomitted inside the well house. I'm going to bring him to the bathroom to clean him up," Kagome explained, and started dragging the hanyou; who was now leaning towards her. "I'm sorry. I'll try to clean up the mess later."

"No, no, I'll do it," Mama offered, and was already on her way to the shed. Kagome tried to protest – since she didn't want her mother to clean it up for her – but her mother waved her hand, leaving no room for argument. "Take care of him, Kagome."

Kagome gave a thank you to her mother, before walking inside her house. Inuyasha was getting heavier by the second; which meant that he was mostly relying on her for support. She stopped at the stairs, and glanced at the hanyou. His eyes were half-lidded, and he looked like he was trapped in a daze.

"Inuyasha?" she called. One of his ears flicked, and that meant he was still conscious. "Just a little more, okay? Just bear with me for a minute."

It felt like forever to reach the top of the stairs, but eventually, they made it. She panted at the weight that was thrown onto her. Her backpack was an additional weight, and even though Inuyasha wasn't as heavy as she thought, she still wasn't strong enough to support all of his weight. As they finally reached the bathroom, only then she dropped her backpack outside, and re-entered to see how Inuyasha was doing. She was shocked to find his face already over the toilet, discarding whatever was left in that stomach of his.

This was bad. Inuyasha hadn't eaten much lately, so why could he still vomit?

She crouched, collected his hair in one hand, and started rubbing his back in circular motions. The moment she thought he had finished vomitting, his mouth opened, only to vomit some more. The wheezing sound he was emitting made Kagome cringe. It sounded so painful for him to vomit again and again. At one point, she thought he was going to die, but Kaede's words had reassured her that he wasn't going to die – since the illness couldn't kill its victim.

At last, Inuyasha stopped vomitting, and laid his cheek on the lip of the toilet. His eyes were closed, and he looked so exhausted. She wanted to cry at how he looked right now. She had always thought that he wouldn't get sick, but she was wrong. Eventually, there _was_ a sickness that could even affect a really strong half-demon like him.

She sat in the bathroom in silence for about fifteen minutes. The only sound she could hear was Inuyasha's heavy breathing. She wanted him to clean up so that he could go straight to bed, but didn't have the heart to do it after seeing his face. But she had to wake him up. He couldn't sleep in a bathroom, and he certainly had to clean the slight mess around his lips.

"Inuyasha," she said softly, nudging the hanyou gently by the elbow. He stirred, and opened his eyes. "You have to wash up. I promise you, after this, you can sleep on my bed."

He gave a small nod, and she stood up from her crouching position. She headed over to the bathroom door. "Just make a loud noise by throwing the shampoo if you need anything," she said, before closing the door behind her.

The door closed with a click, and she slid down to the floor. She drew her knees to her chest, and listened to the sounds behind the bathroom door. She sighed, and wiped some of the beads of sweat that had rolled down her forehead. Today had been so tiring, but it wasn't over. With new determination, she stood up and headed over to her parents' room. She opened the drawers and searched for something comfortable for Inuyasha to wear. She found a plain, white cotton t-shirt that would fit the hanyou. She searched for some pants, and found a grey pair. She then thought of giving him some, uh, underwear. Fortunately for her, she found a box of men underwear that had never been used before.

She gathered the clothing into both hands, and hurried to the bathroom. She knocked on the door. "Inuyasha, you done? I have some new clothes if you want to change."

The door opened, but was left only slightly ajar. His hand appeared, and he reached out for the clothes that she had gathered for him. She handed them over to him, and the bundle of clothes disappeared as the bathroom door closed. She waited patiently for him to change. Then, the door opened again, and the hanyou came out with his firerat in his hands.

Kagome had to stop her jaw from dropping at the sight of him. He looked so... _hot_. His hair was damped after the shower. The t-shirt he was wearing was a little bigger on him. (She could've sworn that it would've fit him, but it was possible that the illness – with the constant throwing up, and the lack of eating – had made him thinner.) The grey pants he was wearing barely covered his knees. Damn, he looked so good in modern clothes – especially with his silver hair matching with his shirt.

But one look on his arms, and she could see that it was bony. It seemed he really did lost his appetite after the illness. She wanted to slap herself for not noticing it sooner. If she had known sooner, maybe he wouldn't have suffered alone so much without anyone knowing.

"Here, give me your clothes. I'll put them in the washer," Kagome said, as she extended her arms. He handed them over, and she made sure not to drop it to the floor. She wrinkled her nose when she caught the scent of vomit.

Yup, after this, she was going to have a nice, long bath.

She moved towards the staircase. "Inuyasha, go lie down on my bed, okay? I'll make something for you to eat."

He nodded tiredly, and entered her room.

She sighed, and walked down the stairs.

Having a sick, silent half-demon was the worst thing that could happen.

* * *

After a long dip in the bath, Kagome finally decided that she should get out. She dried her hair with a towel, and had a sweater with some shorts over her. She then went down to ask Mama if she needed help cleaning Inuyasha's vomit. But to her surprise, the well house was already clean and sparkling. She realised that she was too late to offer some help, so she decided to cook something for Inuyasha instead.

"Hmm... what to give?" she muttered to herself, as she looked at her recipe book. "He's sick, so I don't think ramen would do. Hmm... I'll make him some mushroom soup instead."

"Kagome?" she heard her mother call. She turned around, and found her mother standing close to her. "Hmm? What are you making?"

"Just some mushroom soup," Kagome answered with a smile. "I'm pretty sure Inuyasha would want to eat it."

Her mother was about to nod, before they both heard footsteps – and the bathroom door being swung open.

"Kagome, I think you should check on him," Mama said, her voice evident with worry.

Kagome wasted no time to run up the stairs. When she got to the bathroom, Inuyasha was already over the toilet, throwing up. She quickly got near him, collected his silver hair, and lifted it up. She crouched down, and started rubbing his back.

"There, there," she said softly, and he stopped vomitting at one point. He stared at the bowl for a while, and she became worried at his blank expression. "Inuyasha?"

She almost toppled onto the bathroom floor when he, all of a sudden, leaned towards her; putting all his weight on her. "Inuyasha?" she called, and shook him lightly. She checked his pulse.

He wasn't breathing.

" _Inuyasha_!"

* * *

Everything was so dark. He couldn't see a thing as the darkness enveloped him like a blanket. Everything felt fuzzy at first, but then he started to hear muffled sounds. He strained to hear the sound, but then his nose caught the scent of salt. Tears. Someone was crying nearby – and there was only one person he could think of that would cry right now.

 _Kagome..._

He forced his heavy eyelids to open, and his vision came out blurry at first. As his eyes adjusted to the ceiling light of the room, he slowly turned his head, and found Kagome crying silently beside him. He tried to remember what had happened. Earlier, he suddenly felt the urge to vomit, so he ran to the bathroom. Then Kagome came in, and he vomitted nonstop. And then a wave of nausea hit him, and he could no longer see a thing after that.

Hearing her muffled sobs, he moved his hand to touch her cheek. She stiffened, and her eyes widened when she realised that he was awake. "Inuyasha?"

A weak smile was all he managed to respond with.

"I was so worried! You stopped breathing for a second, and... and..." she hiccuped, "And then I realised you were just unconscious, a-and then you didn't wake up."

 _I'm sorry for making you worried._

"Oh, right," she said, as she wiped the tears on her cheeks. She stood up and moved over to her desk. She motioned back with a bowl and a glass of water. "I made some food for you. C-Can you eat?"

His muscles were strained when he pushed himself into a sitting position. Only now he noticed that he was hungry. His stomach growled, and it took everything he could not to cry in pain.

He felt something cold at his lips, and found Kagome poking the spoon at his mouth. He glowered at her, and extended his hands so that he could feed himself.

Kagome shook her head and kept poking his mouth with the spoon. "Come on, Inuyasha. Let me feed you."

He shook his head, and used a gesture that insisted her to give the bowl to him.

All of a sudden, she let out a wide yawn, and he automatically opened his mouth to yawn too. Kagome took this opportunity to shove the spoon into his mouth, and he flinched at the sudden act.

He glared daggers at her, but swallowed the food given to him. He couldn't believe that she had just pretended to yawn only to get him to yawn. But... it wasn't so bad that she's feeding him. In fact, he found himself liking it.

"What a good boy," she cooed, and continued feeding him. He narrowed his eyes at her statement, and she giggled, followed by a hiccup. "What? I'm just saying."

It took her about twenty minutes to feed him, since there were numerous of times when he felt nauseous, and opened his mouth to throw up. It turned out that all those times he felt like vomitting were false alarms, and he pitied Kagome, because the girl had a bucket prepared for him for each time she thought he was going to make a mess.

She placed the empty bowl down and handed him a glass of water. He greedily swallowed each and every drop of it, and she had to go down to get some more. She appeared again with a full jug of water this time. When his eyes widened at the jug, she explained to him that he had to make up for what he had lost, or he would be dehydrated.

After Kagome had finished cleaning up, only then the hanyou realised that the day had actually fallen into night. He didn't know he had been unconscious for _that_ long. His eyes looked up to Kagome, who was entering the room with a futon in her hands.

He moved so that he could get off her bed, but was stopped by a pair of hands. His brows furrowed as she shook her head.

"You're sleeping on the bed, Inuyasha," Kagome insisted, and laid the futon onto the floor. He tried to make another attempt to get off, but she stopped him again. She smiled reassuringly. "It's okay, really. I don't mind sleeping on the futon. It's been a while since I've slept on one anyways."

His ears flattened, and he nodded. With his stomach full, he laid down and closed his eyes. He tried to think of anything that would make him sleep, but found himself unable to fall into slumber. Maybe he slept too long, that his mind was left wide awake. Letting out a heavy sigh, he turned his body so that he could look at Kagome – only to find that she was laying on _her_ side, staring right back at him.

Her cheeks flushed as she realised she had been caught. She awkwardly scratched her cheek. "Uh, I was just... You know what? Nevermind."

She turned to face the other side, and lifted the blanket over her head. He could somewhat tell that she was blushing under there. Disappointed, he turned his body to face the wall, and, without him realising, his ears once again flattened on his head. He actually wanted to ask Kagome if she wanted to sleep beside him, but realised he couldn't do it. One, he couldn't talk. Two, he had no idea whether she was okay or not with sleeping with him. He sighed and started imagining that she _was_ sleeping beside him.

He felt the mattress shift, and all of a sudden, someone was hugging him from behind. His breathing quickened as his nose caught the scent belonged to Kagome behind him. Words couldn't describe how soothing it was when she nuzzled her face behind her back, and tightened the embrace she had on him.

"You mind if I join you?" she asked, her voice muffled for burying her face.

He shook his head. Thank goodness she couldn't see his face, or she would've seen the wide, stupid grin he had on his face.

"Thought so," she whispered, and he felt her fingers rubbing an ear. "Just now... even if you didn't say anything, your face said it all."

Was he _that_ readable?

Probably not, but maybe to her.

Still, he couldn't help the blush that had dusted his cheeks.

Somehow, she noticed his embarrassment, and giggled. She removed the hand that had been rubbing his ear, and moved it to hug him again.

"Goodnight, Inuyasha. And get well soon."

* * *

"Sis," she heard someone call, before they shook her shoulder. "Sis, wake up."

Kagome stirred, and slowly opened her eyelids. Everything was dark and blurry at first, but then her vision adjusted, and soon, she was seeing Sota standing in front of her in the dark. She blinked a few times; trying to figure what on earth was happening right now.

"Sota? What are you doing in here? What time is it?" she asked, her voice hoarse.

"Sis, it's only eleven at night," Sota whispered, and let out a yawn. "Your friend, Eri, wants to talk to you."

Kagome groaned and turned around to wrap her arm around Inuyasha's sleeping form. "Tell her that I'm sleeping."

"She says it's important," Sota responded quietly, and started tugging at her arm. "She says it's about tomorrow's test."

"T-Test?!" Kagome exclaimed in a half-shout, half-whispered tone.

She quickly rolled out of her bed – made sure that her footsteps were quiet as she walked out of her bedroom – and started sprinting down the stairs to where the house phone was at. The phone was still connected, and she held it to her ear.

"Hello–?"

" _Kagome! Thank goodness you're okay. Sota told me that you're not sick at the moment_ ," Kagome heard Eri say from the other line, " _so I'm just gonna tell you that there's this_ important _test tomorrow. You gotta be there, so, yeah. Hope you can make it, and sorry for calling you so late at night. Later._ "

The phone call ended with a beep, and Kagome stood there – mouth agape, and eyes widened – as the phone continued to let out continous beeps.

" _A test_?!"


	4. Substitute Nurse

_**Disclaimer:** I do not own Inuyasha. Inuyasha belongs to Rumiko Takahashi._

* * *

 **Chapter 4:**

 ** _Substitute Nurse_**

* * *

Kagome flipped the pages of her textbook. Her vision was blurry as she yawned, so she had to wipe the tears that had formed in her eyes. She hated this so much. She had been trying to memorize what she'd read, but nothing came up when she tried to remember. She sighed and closed her book with a little too much force. Frustrated with herself, she groaned, and buried her face into her hands. Of all days, it just _had_ to be tomorrow. And it was an important test too. If she had returned to the Modern Era earlier, she wouldn't be in this mess. But then again, if she had returned earlier, she wouldn't find out that Inuyasha was sick. But if she wasn't there when Inuyasha was sick, she wouldn't have said those words where she wanted Inuyasha's voice to be taken away...

Okay, thinking about this made her brain hurt.

Another sigh escaped her lips, and she turned to lay over her back. Maybe studying on the couch wasn't a very wise choice. It made her sleepy, and she found herself dozing off a few times. She checked the time on the clock, and it displayed two in the morning. She had been studying for three hours, and covered most of tomorrow's subjects. Maybe it was time for her to take a break.

She collected all her textbooks into her hands, and started making her way to the stairs. She yawned as she climbed up the steps, but then her eyes widened when she realised that Inuyasha was exiting her bedroom.

"Inuyasha? Why are you awake?" she asked, and shifted the books in her hands so that she was carrying it with only one arm. He looked like he was half-concious at the moment; with his eyes half-lidded. She took a step forward and placed a hand over his shoulder. "Inuyasha? You okay?"

He flinched at her touch, and finally looked like he was aware with what he was doing. His ears flattened over his head, and he bowed his head in... embarrassment, maybe?

She stared at him; trying to understand the reason why he was out of bed. But then she understood why when he looked at the bed longingly. It was because she was gone, so he came out to search for her. She smiled, and grabbed his hand. "Sorry, I had to study a bit because I have a test tomorrow. Let's go to bed now, okay?"

His face was flushed, and she realised what she had said. She sounded just like a wife inviting her husband to bed. Understanding the reason for his tomato-red face, her face, too, turned red. She tried not to show him her own embarrassment, and led him towards her bed. He rolled onto the bed first as she placed her textbooks onto her study. She followed him next; laying onto the mattress and pulling the blankets over their body.

She turned around and wrapped her arm over his form. Her hand then moved over to stroke some of his silver hair. She heard him sigh in contentment, and she couldn't help but grin at the effect of her ministrations. She nuzzled her face in his hair, and let out a deep breath. "Goodnight Inuyasha. Get well soon, okay?"

She felt him nod, and his breathing became slower.

They both soon fell into a deep slumber.

* * *

Her alarm clock was the most annoying thing in the world. She reached her hand out and tried to search for it. Finally, after a few seconds of finding it, she found the top of her alarm clock, and didn't hesitate to slam her hand on top of it. She sighed in relief at the silence, and took a quick glance towards the half-demon beside her. Luckily for her, he was still asleep. He must be so tired, or he would've been awake by now because of her alarm clock. Seeing his sleeping face, she really wished she didn't have to go to school today. But, unfortunately, skipping school wasn't an option.

She got off the bed and started preparing for school. She took a quick shower, wore her school uniform, and had breakfast that her mother had made. She tried to remember all the things she had learned while eating, and was relieved that she could at least remember some. After she finished her breakfast, she headed over to the kitchen sink.

Right now, her mother was washing dishes. She carried her plate towards the sink, and decided to offer some help, since she had some extra time. "Want me to help you with those?"

Mama gave her an appreciative smile, but shook her head. She then extended her hand for her to give her own plate. "Let me wash that." Kagome opened her mouth to say that she could wash her own plate, but Mama had taken it away from her before she could even speak. She watched as her mother hummed as she washes her plate. "How's Inuyasha? Is he getting better?"

"I hope so. He's still sleeping, but I hope he gets better. It had been a few hours since he last vomit, so that should be a good sign." Then, she remembered that she had to leave for school, and realised that no one was going to take care of Inuyasha. "Oh no! I can't go to school today. Who's going to take care of Inuyasha?"

Mama gave a soft chuckle. "I'm here at home the whole day, Kagome. I can look after him."

"Are you sure? It's not too much trouble for you?" She didn't want to cause too much problems for her mother. She felt like Inuyasha was _her_ responsibility for some weird reason.

"Kagome, he's a part of our family now. If Sota is sick, it isn't considered trouble taking care of him at all. Same goes for him," Mama said, as she rinsed her plate. She placed the plate aside, and wiped her hands onto her apron. She turned her head to look at her. "Don't worry about him, Kagome. You have a test today, don't you? Good luck."

"Thank you, Mama," she said, and threw her arms around her mother. Mama returned her embrace, and after a few seconds, she pulled away. "And thank you, for taking care of Inuyasha while I'm gone."

Mama nodded, and she realised that it was time for her to go to school already. Kagome waved goodbye at her mother, grabbed her school bag, and headed out of the door. All she had to do was get this over with, and she could continue with taking care of her half-demon again.

* * *

Inuyasha woke up to the faint sound of something sizzling. He forced himself to get up, even if his body protested with the idea. He had no idea how long he'd slept, but one thing he was sure was that he had slept for too long. He had always hated wasting the rest of the day doing nothing, so he wasn't going to allow his body the luxury of not doing anything.

A soft whimper almost escaped him when he noticed that Kagome's scent was gone. It was still in her room, but it was obvious that she was not here anymore. Subconsciously, his ears drooped on his head. Then he remembered that she said she had some kind of test today. He wished she didn't have a test, but then again, he never understood the importance of having one.

He stood up, and almost sat back onto the bed when a wave of dizziness hit him. Okay, maybe he shouldn't have stand up too fast. He waited until he no longer felt dizzy, before exiting Kagome's room. He could feel his legs trembling as he went down the stairs, so he had to support himself with the rail. He found Mrs. Higurashi cooking something that smelled like chicken at the stove. She caught him standing, gasped, before moving towards him.

"Inuyasha, what are you doing out of bed? You should really be upstairs right now," she said and held his arm to support him. She looked around and spotted the couch, then, she started leading him there. "Come on, let's get you somewhere to sit."

They moved slowly towards the couch. Once he was seated, she excused herself for a minute and headed back to the kitchen where she was cooking. He leaned his body on the couch, and exhaled a deep breath. He closed his eyes and listened as the sounds of sizzling started to fade. He heard some metal clanging, before Mrs. Higurashi was back. He opened his eyes and found her turning the thing called television on.

"It must be boring sitting up alone, huh?" Mrs. Higurashi said with her back turned to him.

She used the item Inuyasha recognised as a remote, and he watched as she switched the channels on the television. Kagome had explained to him how televisions work, so he no longer felt curious on why the television had people trapped in it.

Mrs. Higurashi found the channel she was looking for, and handed him the remote. "Here. Do you know how to use a remote?"

He nodded, and she smiled.

"Good. Now, if you need anything, just call me." She was about to head upstairs, when she stopped. She spun around to look at him, and her face looked like she had come to a realisation. "I forgot you can't talk. Kagome told me last night. Wait here."

She disappeared for a moment, and reappeared again with a piece of paper and something that looked like Shippo's crayons. Its purpose was to use in writing, that much Inuyasha could tell, but the thing was less colourful, and the item was much more thinner between your fingers.

As if she knew what he was thinking, she explained, "This is a pen. You can write with it." She demonstrated how to use a pen by scribbling onto the paper. Inuyasha was in awe as the ink was magically on the paper, even if she didn't have to dip it in ink. But something told him that the ink was already in the pen, because there was the smell of ink in there. "I just remembered that you haven't eaten breakfast yet. What would you like? You can write it down, and I'll make it."

He stared at the paper blankly, and could feel a blush rising at his cheeks. His mother had taught him how to read and write when he was little, but after spending years of his life fighting, he had no time to remember what his mother had taught him. Thus, he had forgotten everything he had learnt, leaving him unable to read nor write.

"Inuyasha," Mrs. Higurashi said softly, and placed a hand over his shoulder. "I apologise for asking, but can you read?"

He bowed his head in embarrassment, before shaking his head. It was bad enough that he was weak like this. Strength was the only thing he possessed, and without strength, he was like a dumb, useless being.

"There's no need to be ashamed, Inuyasha." Mrs. Higurashi's words interrupted his thoughts, and she pushed aside the paper and pen. She knelt down in front of him, her brown eyes gazing at him. "Kagome had told me how your life is like. Judging by what she had told me, you rarely have the time to sit down and learn."

He didn't respond to that, only allowed his bangs to cover his eyes.

"Do you want me to teach you how to read someday?" He looked up to her, and found that her question was a sincere one. She was smiling at him, and he blushed when he nodded. "Okay, but unfortunately, we'll have to do that some other time, after you get better. Is that alright with you?"

He nodded again.

She placed a hand over his cheek as a sign of affection, before standing up. "So what would you like? Show me number one for a sandwich, number two for ramen, or number three for other choices. I'll give you a list of other food if you choose number three."

It wasn't a difficult choice. He showed her number two, and with a chuckle, she instantly headed over to the kitchen to prepare him some ramen. Only when she was gone when he realised that the television was still on. He looked at the screen, and found out that they were currently playing some show filled with a lot of drama. He rolled his eyes, not really enjoying all the screaming, before pressing a random button with the remote. The next channel was about these demons called unicorns, and he immediately hated it. He pressed another button, and it was now showing some animal story.

Mrs. Higurashi returned about ten minutes later with ramen. His stomach had been growling, and the sight of ramen made him happy. Unfortunately for him, the moment the smell made its way under his nose, a wave of nausea hit him, and he had to hold back from vomitting.

Mrs. Higurashi immediately ran over to the kitchen and returned with a bucket. Almost immediately, he threw up yesterday's meal inside the bucket. He felt Mrs. Higurashi holding his hair up, and the shame of letting Kagome's mother see how weak he was hit him. But his mind was too distracted with throwing up, that he didn't even bother with pulling away from Kagome's mother.

After he was done, he felt like everything inside of him was gone. He stared numbly at the mess he made in the bucket, while his breaths came out in short pants. Mrs. Higurashi gave him a small frown as she slowly released his hair. "It looks like you're still sick," she commented, before placing the bucket aside. "I'll leave the ramen on the table. When you feel better, you can try having some. I'm going to head upstairs for a while, okay?"

Her words sounded muffled in his ears. Nonetheless, he nodded. She grabbed the bucket and headed upstairs. He lolled his head back and closed his eyes. He thought that he had felt better, but he was wrong. The illness may not be as bad as yesterday, but it still made him feel like throwing up. He drifted his eyes onto the steaming ramen, and his stomach growled hungrily. He was in desperate need for food, but that _scent_. It was making him nauseous.

His ears swiveled when he heard the front door being open. It was Kagome's grandpa. He had his sleeves tied to the back and was wearing a bandana on his head. Judging by the amount of sweat on his forehead, he assumed that the old man had been doing some cleaning.

"Oh, you're here," the old man said in surprise, before untying the string that held his sleeves.

He moved his hands to remove his bandana, but stopped when his eyes landed on him. He squinted his eyes, before motioning closer towards him. Inuyasha felt his back pressed at the couch, uncomfortable that the old man was examining him.

"You look quite pale. You alright, demon?"

Inuyasha wasn't sure whether Kagome had filled the old man with details or not. In fact, he hadn't even seen the old geezer yesterday. And since the old man asked him that question, he could only assume that Kagome hadn't told him a thing. With a small nod of his head, he hoped that it was enough to answer the man's question. It wasn't as if he could talk and explain his condition.

"Hmm..." Surely, the old geezer wasn't buying it. He placed his hand over his forehead, and Inuyasha winced at the contact. "You have a fever. You sure you're alright, demon?"

"Father." Inuyasha sighed in relief at Mrs. Higurashi's voice. It was awkward staying here with Kagome's grandfather alone. She approached them with a blanket in her hand. "He can't talk, and he's sick at the moment. We should allow him to rest."

"Sick?" The old geezer blinked a few times before looking at him. "I thought demons don't get sick."

"Maybe they do, it's just that we don't know," Mrs. Higurashi responded, before placing a blanket over his body. She gave him a heartwarming smile. "Better?"

He gave her a nod, and felt his cheeks turn red. This was so embarrassing without Kagome. It wasn't as if he hated the old geezer, or Kagome's mother, but he really wished that it was Kagome that was taking care of him. Now, as much as he hated to be taken care of, he had long accepted that he was sick, and no matter how hard he tried to deny the illness, the illness would make some move to remind him that it was still there.

"Father, you should take a shower," Mrs. Higurashi said, all of a sudden, and the old geezer let out a disapproving grunt. She gave the old man an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry, but you–"

"I know, I know," he interrupted, and straightened his back. He started walking towards the stairs, and mumbled, "Gods, the stairs is the last thing these old bones needed."

Hearing the old man's footsteps fading away, Mrs. Higurashi looked back at him, before grabbing his bowl of ramen. She sat beside him, and used the chopsticks to stir the ramen in the bowl. She looked up to him, before saying, "I'll feed you, okay? You look really tired to feed yourself."

He shook his head as a sign of protest, but Mrs. Higurashi was having none of it. She brought the bowl closer to his face, and used the chopsticks to bring the noodles to his mouth. He made another attempt to stop her from feeding him, but at last, she ended up feeding him anyway. He chewed the warm noodles in his mouth, and swallowed it. Before he could stop himself, he found his mouth ready for more.

His eyes widened in horror because of what he had done. Mrs. Higurashi chuckled, and continued feeding him. "You don't have to feel embarrassed, Inuyasha. You are a part of this family too, and I feed Kagome a lot of times when she's sick. So relax, and let me take care of you, okay?"

 _A part of this family?_

He searched for the lie in Mrs. Higurashi's words, and was surprised to find none.

He lowered his head as he chewed the noodles in his mouth.

A family... he loved that.

* * *

Inuyasha came back to consciousness when he heard a shriek, followed by some yelling. He hadn't realised that he had fallen asleep on the couch. How long had he slept anyway? He slowly opened his eyes, and found Kagome slamming the front door shut. He heard people knocking from the other side, before he heard a muffled, " _Hey! Kagome, what's the big idea? I thought you wanted us to study with you!_ "

Kagome, who was now sweating nervously, had her back pressed against the front door. "H-Hold on! The house is, uh, messy!"

" _We don't mind!_ "

" _Yeah, Kagome. Come on, let us in._ "

" _Guys, let's wait until she cleans up. Maybe there are personal items lying on the floor._ "

" _Hmm... Maybe you're right, Ayumi._ "

Kagome visibly relaxed, before her eyes widened in alarm on him. Hastily, she dropped her backpack on the floor, and ran upstairs to her room. Inuyasha watched her with a confused expression. What was she doing? Who are those people outside? But then, he remembered those voices.

They belonged to Kagome's weird friends.

Kagome rushed back down and quickly placed the bandana on him. "I thought you were sleeping upstairs. Gods, I should've checked first."

He allowed her to put the bandana on to cover his ears. After she was done, she took a few steps back, and examined him from head to toe.

"I'm _really_ , really sorry. I had to invite my friends over because of tomorrow's test. I know you're resting and all, so you can just stay here while we study upstairs, okay? You don't have to move anywhere." He gave her a nod in understanding, and she let out a sigh of relief. "I'll try to finish it as soon as possible."

He nodded.

She gave him a small smile, and opened the front door.

"Geez Kagome, what took you so–"

All three of Kagome's friends halted when their eyes landed on him; with their mouths left agape.

* * *

 _ **A/N:** So I guess this takes place after Kagome's friends meets Inuyasha? I think it was episode 160. So just to let you know, Kagome's friends had met Inuyasha before in this story._


	5. Perfect Boyfriend

_**Disclaimer:** I do not own Inuyasha. Inuyasha belongs to Rumiko Takahashi._

 _ **A/N:** To be honest, this chapter wasn't supposed to exist. But then I had an idea, so I ended up writing this chapter._

* * *

 **Chapter 5:**

 _ **Perfect Boyfriend**_

* * *

Maybe she should've thought about how her friends would react before opening the door.

Right now, all three of her friends were surrounding Inuyasha. To make it worse, they were all squealing and shrieking and screaming and... the list goes on from there. Yuka's eyes were shining as bright as the stars, Eri's jaw couldn't drop any wider, and Ayumi was basically shaking her hand as if she had achieved some kind of accomplishment. She felt sorry for Inuyasha, because the half-demon couldn't even say a thing to get her friends to move away.

"Okay guys, enough." Kagome had to push Yuka and Eri aside because they were standing _way_ too close to Inuyasha. She bet with all her money, that if Inuyasha could talk right now, he would've yelled at them something about personal space. "Give him some space, okay? He's–"

"Oh my gosh! He looks _sooo_ hot in those clothes!" Yuka exclaimed, her hands clasped together under her chin. She whirled her head to look at Kagome. Her eyes couldn't shine any brighter. "Last time I saw him, he was wearing some shrine uniform."

Kagome was about to respond to Yuka, but Eri interrupted her. "I didn't know he's skinny!" Eri moved her face closer towards Inuyasha, and Kagome could see the discomfort emitting from the half-demon's face. "Are you strong? Do you have abs?"

Ayumi was _still_ shaking her hand. "Congrats, Kagome–"

"Okay, e _nough_!" Kagome practically shouted. All three girls snapped their heads to her direction. She pinched the bridge of her nose, before facing her friends. "Look, guys, he's really sick. _Really_ sick. He can't talk either because of... uh... some accident that hurt his vocal cords–"

"Oh my god!" Ayumi said and glanced at Inuyasha. "Are you okay? Is it true? What happened?"

"Like I said, there was an accident." Kagome couldn't really think of a lie that would cover how Inuyasha lost his voice. So she decided to keep the details vague. "Anyway, we should study upstairs and let Inuyasha rest."

Thankfully, all three of her friends nodded. They all went upstairs, and Kagome took a moment to see Inuyasha's expression. His eyes were closed and he used a clawed finger to massage his temple.

She gave him an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry. I didn't know they would react like _that_."

Inuyasha shook his head and waved his hand nonchantly. But by the subtle movement from his bandana, Kagome could tell that his ears were flattened.

"By the way, Mama is out to pick Sota up from school. So it's just me and Granpa right now. If you need anything, I'll..." Kagome looked up thoughtfully. Asking Inuyasha to climb up the stairs in his tired state would be cruel. She flicked her gaze back to him. "I'll check you once in a while, alright? Just rest, and don't do anything dumb, especially when you're sick."

He gave her a half-smirk, and it was all she needed to know that he would be fine.

* * *

"So, Kagome, does he _have_ abs?" Eri asked, and Kagome groaned. Her friend chuckled and inched closer to her. "Come on. You said that he was strong, right? He _should_ have some."

"Okay, can we _stop_ talking whether he has abs or not? Honestly, even I don't know! I never checked." Kagome's eye twitched when all three of her friends looked at her skeptically. She wanted to strangle the three right now. They were supposed to study, not discussing whether Inuyasha has a six pack or not! "I'm serious, guys. I've never seen his stomach."

What she didn't say was; she had never focused onto his stomach, but had seen him completely naked.

Yuka shrugged. "Why not check it now?"

"Will you _please_ stop talking about this?" Kagome said in a very frustrating voice before burying her face into her hands. She then remembered that Inuyasha was actually skinny because of his lack of eating, so even if he _did_ have abs, they would've disappeared already no thanks to his sickness. "Okay, maybe he _does_ have abs, but I _can't_ confirm it one hundred percent." When her friends started squealing, she quickly continued, "But because he's sick, kept vomitting and refuses to eat, I don't think he has them anymore, okay?!"

All three became silent. They stared at her with widened eyes. She had no idea what thoughts were swirling in their minds at the moment, but judging by the glances they exchanged with each other, she could tell that all three were thinking of the same thing. But _what_ they were thinking, she had no clue.

"Kagome, is he okay?" Ayumi asked in a very concerned voice. Eri and Yuka wasn't smiling anymore. "Is he getting better?"

Okay, now the topic had gone from light-hearted to serious. She didn't mean to make this happen. All she intended was to make them stop talking about Inuyasha's abs, but now, it seemed that they might press her about _this_. She sighed. "He's getting better, I guess. I mean, Mama said he only vomitted because of the smell of ramen. Yesterday, he threw up almost every time."

Her friends gasped. Eri asked, "What disease is he facing?"

A youkai illness. But Kagome couldn't answer that. She racked her brain for the most suitable lie. "Um... it's a viral fever. Nothing serious. He _will_ get better. The doctors said that he won't die or anything. He just needs a lot of rest."

"Has he eaten his medicine?"

Great, another lie. "Yeah. Guys, really, don't worry. He's healing, it just takes time."

The three of them looked at each other again. Yuka and Eri faced Ayumi, and the girl nodded as if they had reached some kind of silent understanding. Said girl looked at her, and reached out to grab her hand. "Kagome, if you need anything, we'll be here to help you. We just want to let you know that you can tell us anything, alright?"

How the conversation ended up like this, Kagome had no idea. However, she was grateful that she had received her friends' support, especially for Inuyasha. So with a smile, she nodded. "Thank you, Ayumi, Eri, Yuka."

Finally, much to Kagome's relief, they started teaching her the topics that will come out for tomorrow's test. Having all three at her house was a great idea. If one doesn't know the answer, the other one does. She managed to learn so much within two and a half hours, that she thought her brain might explode. It was in a good way though. Unlike studying by herself, she was actually understanding what she was learning.

"I need to head to the bathroom," Eri said, all of a sudden. She stood up and hopped in place for emphasis. "Can I?"

"Of course you can, Eri," Kagome laughed. "You know where it is. Take your time."

Her friend was gone in a second. Because of Eri's absence, Ayumi took the role of teaching her. Kagome listened as Ayumi explained about History. Beside her, Yuka nodded as she focused.

Ten minutes later, Kagome started to wonder why Eri was taking so long. She guessed it was one of _those_ times; when you just have to spend like an hour on the toilet. She was busy answering Ayumi's questions about history.

But then, she heard a scream.

* * *

Eri walked out of the bathroom. She wiped her wet hands onto her skirt, and headed for Kagome's room. As soon as she reached the bedroom door, an idea struck her. She spun on her heel and headed downstairs. She could hear the faint sounds coming from the television. She moved closer to the couch, and found Kagome's boyfriend – _Inuyasha_ – resting with his eyes closed.

Or maybe he was sleeping.

Nonetheless, she approached him and stared at him for a few seconds. After Kagome had told her that her boyfriend had been sick, she couldn't help but feel worried. Sure, she didn't approve of Kagome and Inuyasha's relationship at first. But that changed after she met him. When she first met him in person, he turned out to be a pretty unique guy. She had never seen a person with white hair and golden eyes before. And there was something about the way he acts that made him different from everyone else.

The reason for her worry was because this... _Inuyasha_ has a really big impact to Kagome's life. There _were_ times when Kagome complains about Inuyasha two-timing, but for now, she would focus on the good parts of him. Kagome had told her that Inuyasha was overprotective and keeps her safe all the time. Keep her safe from what, she had no idea. But by the way her friend's face looked like while talking about her boyfriend, Eri knew that Kagome was, if not, _deeply_ in love with him. If something happened to him, she couldn't imagine how much it would hurt her friend.

Seeing his face right now, he looked fine. Kagome _did_ say that he was healing, so maybe she was just worrying about nothing after all. She was about to return back to Kagome's room, when she caught movement.

Wait, what?

She moved closer and squinted her eyes. There! There was something moving under Inuyasha's bandana. Which bug was able to get onto his head without him noticing? Well, she was going to remove it, that's for sure. She slowly moved one hand to the bandana, and the other was ready to quickly pick the bug up.

In one swift movement, she removed the piece of fabric. Her other hand was already reaching out to the expected bug. But it stopped midway when she saw two cat ears perched on top of his head; _twitching_. His eyelids flew open, and before she could stop herself, she had allowed a scream to pass her lips.

* * *

"Eri, what's wrong–" Kagome came to halt. Ayumi and Yuka stopped running right at her side. Kagome's eyes widened in horror as she watched Inuyasha, with his ears _exposed_ , looking at Eri in fear. She whispered, "Oh my god–"

By now, Eri had stopped screaming, but she was still freaked out by the ears. "What the– Those are–" She rubbed her eyes as if she couldn't believe what she was seeing. "Those are _real_ cat ears!" She spun around to meet Kagome's face, her hands waving around at Inuyasha. "I swear, I'm not crazy! I _saw_ those ears move!"

Kagome was frozen on the spot. There goes the lie that Inuyasha was a cosplayer. She thought that she could get away by telling Eri that Inuyasha loves to wear cat ears. Unfortunately, her friend had seen the appendages _move_. How was she suppose to explain about that? That Inuyasha had some wires inside those ears?

"That couldn't be, Eri," Yuka said and crossed her arms. She was shaking her head now. "That has to be fake–" She jumped backwards. "Holy crap! That thing _moved_!"

"I _told_ you!" Eri exclaimed. She looked at Kagome, her face demanding for an explanation. "What is this? Don't you dare tell me those ears are fake, because those things actually _moved_. And I won't believe you if you say there's some wire installed in those. So, spill the beans."

Where to start? That Inuyasha was actually a half-demon? That he wasn't from this time in the first place? That _she_ could time travel?

Kagome could feel her own anxiety increasing, along with Inuyasha's. Said half-demon had his back pressed against the couch, as if he wanted to disappear on the spot. She couldn't blame him though. One minute, they were crowding him and gasping at how hot he looks in modern clothes. The next minute, they found out that he had _real_ dog ears.

"There must be an explanation," Ayumi said, making an attempt to calm her other two friends. She may be cool-headed, but she was also very confused at the moment. "Kagome, that can't be real ears, right?"

Kagome spared a glance towards Inuyasha. Inuyasha lightly shook his head and mouthed the words, "Just tell them."

She could just tell them, but it just felt wrong. However, with the way her friends were looking at her, she could tell that she wasn't getting away without an explanation.

Taking a deep breath, she formed the words in her mind. For so many months, she had lied to her friends and hid the truth. So allowing them to find out now... it won't be easy. "Okay, first of all, what I'm going to say... just listen to me, alright?"

The three nodded in unison. Eri and Yuka had their brows furrowed.

"You won't believe this but... Inuyasha is not fully human," Kagome said, carefully and slowly. All three gasped. "It's true. Just by the ears, it's obvious that he's not human."

Eri ran a hand through her dark hair. A humourless chuckle escaped her. "If you had told me that there were wires in his ears, I wouldn't believe you. But this...?"

"It's true." Kagome walked over to Inuyasha. She lifted the silver strands that cupped both sides of his face, and revealed that there were no humanoid ears sticking out of his head. "See? He has no human ears."

Ayumi was in so much shock, that she had to cover her mouth when another gasp escaped her. Yuka and Eri had their jaws dropped.

"W-Wait, what? He's not human?" Eri shook her head, before backing away from Inuyasha. "How–?"

"There's more to this." Kagome released Inuyasha's hair, and turned to face her friends. A faint smile appeared on her lips, though, it lacked any emotion. "Inuyasha is actually a half-demon. Meaning, he's half-human and half-demon."

"A demon?!" Yuka shrieked. "But demons don't exist! They're just mythical creatures–"

"Actually, they _do_ exist. I can assure you that, because I've travelled five hundred years in the past." Kagome's voice was devoid of emotion. Having no idea of how her friends would accept the truth, she ended up not wanting to feel anything at all. "Inuyasha is also not from this time. He's from five hundred years in the past. You know about the well in the well house? Yeah, it brings me back in time."

"Woah, woah, woah. This is just... too much," Yuka said. She took a few deep breaths, before looking at Kagome. "You're telling us that the old well at the back of your shrine brings you five hundred years in the past?!"

"That's what I said." Kagome clenched her fists. Travelling five hundred years in the past was one thing. Being a reincarnation of a certain priestess was another. Then there's the Sacred Jewel and Naraku... The truth, Kagome knew, was too much for her friends to handle. "It's a long story. But if you guys believe me, I'll tell you more about it soon."

"How is that even possible, Kagome?" Ayumi asked after being silent for a while. "Travelling back in time... it only happens in the movies."

"Apparently, this well is a magical one. However, only Inuyasha and I could use it. My friends from the other side couldn't use it for some weird reason. I guess it has something to do with me and the past." All of Kagome's friends looked at her as if she had just spoken nonsense. She ended up slapping her forehead. "You know what? Let's discuss about this later. For now, I need you guys to promise me, and _promise me_ you won't tell anything about Inuyasha to _anyone_. Not even to your own family."

"Why?" Ayumi asked out of sheer curiosity.

"Idiot. If the government finds out that he's some kind of supernatural being, they'll definitely hunt him down and capture him!" Eri said, and sighed. She gave Kagome a reassuring smile. "We won't tell a soul, Kagome. I still can't believe that he's not really, uh, human, but try to tell us more about it soon, okay? My brain needs time processing this."

"I understand," Kagome said with a nod. "I'll tell you more soon. Right now, we should go back and study."

"But before that," Yuka interrupted and looked at Inuyasha, "Can you really move those ears?"

Inuyasha nodded his head, slowly. His ears, that had been drooping, suddenly perked up.

"Oh my god, you _can_ move those ears!" Yuka squealed and extended her arm. "Can I touch them? Please?"

"Me too!" Eri said. "Can I?"

With a hesitant nod, Inuyasha lowered his head. The two of them took that as a yes. Their fingers gently touched his ears, and they couldn't help but gasp at how soft the appendages were. Soon enough, Ayumi was touching them too.

"They're so soft!" Ayumi commented and glanced at Kagome. "Wow, Kagome. I have to admit, he has the cutest cat ears!"

Kagome could see Inuyasha's eye twitched. The corner of her lips twitched upwards, and she had to hold back from laughing. "Actually, they aren't cat ears. He's actually a dog demon."

"No way!" Eri commented and focused on Inuyasha. "That explains why your name is Inuyasha! Though, your ears looked more like a cat's–" Noticing Inuyasha's eyes narrowing into slits, she instantly fixed her slip up. "Ah, I mean, dog ears. Yup, definitely dog ears."

Everyone in the living room turned their heads to the same direction when the front door flew open. They all watched as Sota entered, his face covered in sweat and his arm carrying a soccer ball. "Inuyasha! Are you–" He blinked and looked at each of Kagome's friends. His eyes then drifted to Inuyasha's ears, and he was suddenly in full blown panic. "Oh no! Inuyasha, your ears!"

"Don't worry, Sota. I already told them," Kagome reassured. Sota gave her a look that said _bad idea_. She waved her hands in a reassuring matter. "Don't worry, they're not going to tell anyone."

"What have I missed?" Mama said as she entered. She closed the front door and was surprised to find Inuyasha's ears uncovered. Her brows furrowed, and a small frown tugged at her face. "Kagome?"

"Wait," Kagome said and stepped forward. "Let me tell you what happened."

* * *

Mama served curry for everyone except Inuyasha. For the half-demon, she gave him some mushroom soup, which surprisingly, he enjoyed. Kagome had told her mother about how her friends found out that Inuyasha was a half-demon. Mama was relieved when she found out that none of her friends were going to tell anyone. Mama soon decided to make dinner early, and invited her friends to stay and eat.

Right now, Kagome was busy answering a thousand questions from her friends.

"So you travel back in time to find some jewel shards that shattered into pieces," Eri said in a slow tone. Her friend was taking her time comprehending what was really going on. Kagome nodded. "And in the past, which is five hundred years ago, there are demons all over Japan? I mean, demons were a _normal_ thing for them?"

"Yeah, it's like us seeing a giraffe. People _know_ that they exist," Kagome answered and fed herself some of her mother's delicious curry. "There are other things too. Like priests, priestesses and monks, they really do have the power to get rid of a demon. Their powers are no joke. There are even witches and dark priestesses." Kagome shivered at the thought of Tsubaki, a dark priestess she had dealt in the past, literally. "They're probably the ones I hate the most."

"And Inuyasha protects you from all those demons?" Yuka asked, poking her thumb to Inuyasha's direction. Inuyasha tensed as the attention was suddenly on him.

"Yeah, he protects me all the time with no hesitation," Kagome said and smiled. She recollected previous events where Inuyasha would save her from all the danger she encounters. Then, a frown made its way to her lips. "He gets hurt all the time because of me. He gets stabbed, almost died for me once–"

"Woah, woah, _what_?!" Eri said and placed her elbows onto the table, momentarily forgetting about table manners. "Stabbed? Almost _died_?"

"Since he's a half-demon, he doesn't die as easily as humans. He also has fast healing powers. So he usually fights on the frontlines." She looked at the spoken half-demon, and found his head bowed. "But I worry about him sometimes. When it comes to my safety, he just... he doesn't care if he loses his life on the spot."

Kagome was shocked to find all three of her friends in tears. Yuka and Eri were busy wiping their face, while Ayumi allowed the tears to flow freely down her cheeks.

Ayumi placed a hand over Kagome's hand. "Kagome, he's the perfect boyfriend for you."

Kagome jerked back. "W-What?!"

"Yeah, Kagome," Yuka said, her face instantly dried up and was no longer crying. She looked at Eri, who looked like she wasn't even crying a second ago. "It's official. We ship you both."

"Huh?" Kagome glanced at Mama and Sota. The two of them were busy chuckling. She looked at Inuyasha next. He met her gaze, furrowed his brows and shrugged. She turned to look at her friends again. "What do you mean?"

"Well, we wanted to make sure that he's treating you right," Eri said and tapped her cheek. "And since he would even sacrifice his life for you, I guess that's more than enough to know that you two are the one true pair."

"Oh! Oh! We should make a ship name!" Ayumi commented.

Kagome's mouth was agape. "What–"

"KagoYasha?" Ayumi asked.

"InuKago?" Eri suggested.

"I know! InuKag!" Yuka exclaimed.

All three exchanged nods as they came to an agreement. Kagome tried to interrupt them, but she was totally ignored as they declared that "InuKag" was their ship name.

"InuKag?" Eri asked in an excited tone, looking at her other two friends.

"InuKag!" Ayumi and Yuka cheered in unison.

Kagome's face was as red as Inuyasha's firerat. Inuyasha, on the other hand, had no idea what the trio were saying. All he knew was that they had combined his and Kagome's name into one... name?


	6. One True Pair

_**Disclaimer:** I do not own Inuyasha. Inuyasha belongs to Rumiko Takahashi._

 _ **A/N:** Sorry for delaying this update. I'm currently having my exams, so I don't have much time to write and edit. But don't worry, the next update will be in two weeks since my exams would be over by then._

* * *

 **Chapter 6:**

 _ **One True Pair**_

* * *

Yesterday had been one crazy evening. Kagome had no idea that she would ever reveal her secret about Inuyasha being a half-demon and all, but it seemed that the cat is out of the bag. Her friends left her home yesterday while cheering the name "InuKag" over and over again. Thank goodness Inuyasha had no idea what her three friends were talking about. It was best if he stays ignorant about what her friends actually mean when chanting their ship name.

She had reluctantly left Inuyasha this morning. He looked like he was getting better, but she could tell that he hadn't fully healed yet. She was crestfallen at his dejected expression when she had to leave for school this morning. He had his ears flattened and his head hung low. It took all she could not to skip school and stay at home for the rest of the day.

She clenched her fists in determination as she entered her school compound. Today, she was going to ace this test. This was the last day and she was determined to pass with flying colours. Eri, Yuka and Ayumi had taught her a lot yesterday. She was sure she was able to answer the questions this time.

"Higurashi!"

Kagome stopped and turned around. Hojo appeared; a wide smile on his face. She smiled back at him. "Good morning, Hojo."

"Higurashi, I was hoping if you..." His cheeks became flushed all of a sudden as he scratched the back of his neck. She tilted her head to the side in confusion. "I was wondering if you wanted to watch the movie Infinity Battle with me?"

"Oh..." She flicked her eyes onto the clock on the wall. "Um, I'll think about it." It was obvious that she wasn't going, especially with Inuyasha still sick and all. Besides, she wasn't in the mood to hang out tonight. Though, it was too early to tell him that. She didn't want to ruin his mood.

"You _will_ consider it, right?" he asked in a hopeful voice, his smile never leaving his face. Unknowing to him, she clenched her fists. She gave him a forceful smile, and nodded. "Great. I'll be waiting for your answer after school. This _is_ our last day for our test after all."

She gave him another nod. He grinned, before leaving her alone at the lockers. She let out a breath she didn't know she was holding and ran a hand through her ebony hair. A frown made its way to her face. A movie sounds nice after a test, but now wasn't a good time. Inuyasha was still sick, and she didn't want to leave him alone at home while she's out with Hojo. She sighed and started walking to class.

She'll have to find a good reason on why she can't go.

* * *

"And... time's up. Please put down your pens. I will now collect your papers."

Kagome placed her pen down and stretched her arms. She beamed as she looked up at the ceiling. She was able to answer all the questions in the paper. In seemed that scoring an 'A' was possible this time. Maybe she could make Mama proud for this exam. She _had_ been getting low grades for a while, but her mother had never once scolded her for it. This made her feel guilty. If only she could gather the jewel shards _and_ get good grades. Luckily for her, this time, there was a chance for things to be different.

"Kagome!" Eri exclaimed and dashed to Kagome's desk. She grabbed a chair to place it beside her friend's table. "How was it?"

"I was able to answer it!" Kagome answered excitedly and watched as Yuka and Ayumi join the conversation. "It's all thanks to you guys. I wouldn't have been able to do it without you."

"It's thanks to you too, Kagome. If you hadn't been asking so many questions, we wouldn't have searched for an answer. It also helped us remember some of the things we learnt," Yuka said. She folded her arms over Kagome's table and rested her chin onto her forearms. "So, what will you guys be doing tonight?"

Ayumi tapped her chin thoughtfully. "Watch a movie? I heard Infinity Battle is out already."

Yuka gasped. " _Already_?!"

"Or," Eri waggled her eyebrows. "Are you going to keep caring for Mr. Hot Guy with Dog Ears?"

Kagome chuckled nervously. "Well, Inuyasha is still sick, so... I guess I'll be taking care of him."

"That sucks. I mean, taking care of your hot boyfriend isn't, but the fact that you won't be watching Infinity Battle tonight _sucks_ ," Yuka said and crossed her arms. "I've seen the amount of comments on the trailer. It's a highly expected movie, and it's definitely going to be sold out if we don't buy tickets _fast_. For your information, I am _not_ going to wait for a few days and hear spoilers."

"It's the continuation of the other Marble movie, right?" Ayumi asked.

"Yep," Yuka said.

That reminded Kagome about Hojo's offer. "Oh, that reminds me... Hojo wants me to watch the movie with him. But I can't leave Inuyasha tonight."

"Wait, is Hojo _still_ not aware that you already have a boyfriend?" Eri said and palmed her cheek. "Damn, _someone_ has to break the news to him."

Yuka and Ayumi nodded in agreement.

"I've been trying to keep our relationship as friends, but he keeps trying to push it to the next level," Kagome commented and leaned back at her seat. She was actually aware of Hojo's intentions in trying to be more than friends. She was happy that he had interest in her, but sadly, she doesn't like him the same way he likes her. "He had been inviting me out a lot lately. I've been trying to decline them, but right now, I'm running out of excuses."

"Don't worry, Kagome," Yuka said and leaned forward to place a hand on her friend's shoulder. "Let _us_ handle it."

"Yeah," Ayumi said as she nodded her head vigorously. Then, she blinked. "Wait, us?"

"Yeah, _us_." Yuka moved closer to her two friends at her side. Her expression grew serious. "The way I see it, he is a potential threat to our one true pair. We have to stop it before it turns bad."

Eri snapped her fingers in realisation. "You're right! We _have_ tell him."

All the three girls nodded in unison. Kagome just stared at her friends with her jaw dropped. She was glad that she could trust her friends to tell him about her relationship with Inuyasha, but she couldn't help but feel a little worried. Oh well. They _are_ her friends. What could possibly go wrong?

* * *

Eri, Yuka, Ayumi marched out of the school building; the three walking side by side with each other. At the gate was Hojo, who was busy waiting for someone, which they have no doubt was Kagome. They know that if they don't stop this, his hope will continue to grow, and one day, someone was going to drop the bomb and his hope would crush into a thousand pieces. They wanted to avoid that as much as possible.

Yuka halted, leaving Eri and Ayumi to take a step further. The other two stopped to look at their friend. Ayumi asked, "Is something wrong, Yuka?"

"No, no, everything's fine," Yuka replied with an overly cheery voice as she waved her hands around. "So... Who's going to break the news to him?"

Eri raised a brow. "I thought you were going to do it? _You_ were the one who suggested the idea."

"But I can't handle it when guys are heartbroken!" Yuka said, grabbing both of Eri's shoulders. She took a deep breath, and exhaled. "Okay, how about–"

"Hello, you three."

All three of them shrieked when Hojo had approached them. Hojo had his usual charming smile, his eyes seemingly searching for, apparently, Kagome. The trio exchanged looks at each other. Eri gave Yuka a stern look, but Yuka only shook her head. Eri sighed and took a step forward. "Hi, Hojo. What's up?"

"Where's Higurashi? Is she not with you? I need to know if she wanted to watch Infinity Battle."

"About that..." Eri gave a nervous laugh. "You see, she's occupied tonight. Her, um, _boyfriend_ is sick, so she has to take care of him."

Internally, Eri prayed that he would understand that Kagome was already taken.

He frowned. "Boyfriend?"

Ayumi decided to help Eri out. She looked at Hojo and nodded. "Yeah, Kagome's boyfriend. We visited her yesterday and he was _really_ sick. She said she's really sorry she couldn't hang out."

Looking at Hojo's downhearted expression, Yuka added, " _But_ we're free tonight. If you want, you can watch with us. We _are_ planning to watch Infinity Battle anyway."

Hojo shook his head. He smiled faintly at them. "No thank you. Thanks for the offer, though. See you guys later."

Yuka, Eri and Ayumi watched as he left. They all stayed silent for a while until Hojo was out of hearing range. Once Hojo was far away, only then one of them broke the silence.

Eri breathed out. "Oh boy."

* * *

The light from her flashlight illuminated the inside of his mouth. She nodded at the sight of his throat, even if she had no idea what she was actually doing. Still, she acted as if she understood his condition. She turned off her flashlight and placed it on the floor next to her. The half-demon's amber eyes stared at her in anticipation. He must be expecting to hear good news. Well, she may not be a professional when it comes to health, but it doesn't take a genius to know that he was healing. He didn't vomit at all today, so that counted as something.

"Looks like you're getting better," Kagome said. She regretted pretending that she had a clue with what she was doing when checking his throat, but she had to lift his spirits. "No vomitting, no fever. You only felt nauseous, right?" He nodded. "That's good. Unfortunately, your voice still hasn't returned. But since you're getting better, and your healing powers _should_ return, I'm guessing your voice will return by tonight or tomorrow."

He nodded at her statement.

She smiled at him before standing up. She placed the flashlight onto her desk and stretched her arms. She spared a glance at the half-demon, and found him sitting cross-legged; his back leaning at the side of her bed. He looked bored. All of a sudden, she had an idea on how to entertain him.

"Inuyasha, want to watch a movie?" Kagome asked. He raised his brows at her suggestion. He knew what movies were, so she didn't need to explain it to him. His expression only hinted that he was asking what the movie was about. "You can choose what kind of movie you want. Show me number one for action, two for horror, three for romance."

His face contorted in disgust when he heard option number three. She laughed, knowing too well that he hated romantic stuff. He then showed her a peace sign. Two; horror.

They both went downstairs to watch the movie. Inuyasha sat on the couch as she searched for any horror movies they owned. All of a sudden, the house phone rang. Kagome motioned to where the phone was at and answered. "Hello?"

" _Kagome–!_ "

Kagome had to move the phone away from her ear. She counted two seconds before placing it back on her ear. "Eri? What's wrong?"

" _Hojo is totally heartbroken!_ " Eri said through the phone. Her voice was so loud, that Kagome had to pull the phone away again. " _We told you that you had a boyfriend, and he looked_ so _disappointed. Ugh, now I feel guilty._ "

"I hope he's okay," Kagome said to the phone and glanced at where Inuyasha was sitting. His face was focusing onto the screen of the television, but his ears were swiveled her way. Whether he could hear their conversation or not, she had no idea. "If you see him, tell him I'm really sorry. I tried to keep things neutral between us, but I guess it's my fault for not stating it sooner."

" _Aw, don't blame yourself, Kagome! You were actually being nice tolerating his gifts and all._ "

"Still, maybe I should've done things differently." Kagome played with the wire of the house phone, allowing her finger to entangle it. "Thanks for telling him. I really appreciate that you guys did it for me. I'll try to talk to him soon. I hope we can still be friends."

" _Don't worry, I'm sure_ _he'll be fine. Good luck when you start talking things out with him!_ "

Kagome smiled. "Thank you, Eri."

They exchanged a few last words to each other. Finally, Kagome ended the call and headed to the television. Several DVDs were spreaded out on the floor. Her family owned only a few horror movies. That was because Mama was the only one brave enough to watch them.

She started looking at the covers of the DVDs. Most of them were movies she hadn't watched yet. She chose a movie with a creepy-looking cover. There was a girl with long, black hair, crawling out of a television. The title said, _House at Night_. It looked like a good horror movie, so she inserted the disc inside the DVD player.

"I'm going to grab some snacks. Be right back," Kagome announced. The half-demon nodded. She headed to the kitchen and took a giant bag of chips. She returned to the living room and sat beside Inuyasha. She tore open the bag and offered him the snack. "Here."

As he was about to put his hand into the bag, all of a sudden, his eyes widened. She stared at him in confusion at the abrupt change of expression. She gasped when his claws were replaced with regular human finger nails, his silver hair turned darker until it was obsidian, and his amber eyes turned into a violet hue.

Wait, Inuyasha's human transformation was tonight?!

Kagome ran towards the window and watched as the sun set. She had just remembered that tonight was the night of the new moon. She spun around to look at Inuyasha's reaction, but he only gave her a shrug of indifference. Well, at least he wasn't bothered by it?

"So, you're human tonight," Kagome begun slowly. He rolled his eyes and nodded. "Did you know?"

He furrowed his brow before he shook his head.

"You forgot about it, isn't it?" she asked with a small laugh. He gave a reluctant nod. "So... how do you feel? Better? Worse?"

He made a gesture that he felt okay. She sighed in relief. She was worried for a second that he would feel worse because of his human state. Maybe it didn't affect him because the one weakening him was a demon illness?

"Can you talk?" she asked.

He opened his mouth, made a noise at the back of his throat, and shook his head. It seemed being human doesn't return his voice back. Well, he _did_ lose his voice because of a demon, and not because of the illness he was currently facing. But for a second, she thought that he would be able to talk again. She couldn't help but frown to herself. She missed his voice; even if he usually insults her with that very same voice.

She heard the front door unlocked. Mama entered the house with a bag of groceries. She had her hands full, so Kagome instantly helped her carry half of the load. Mama gave her a grateful smile before shutting the door with her foot.

"Welcome back," Kagome greeted as she placed the bags on the kitchen counter. She started taking out the items.

"Hello you two," Mama said and was shocked when she saw Inuyasha in his human form. She smiled when Inuyasha met her gaze. "Kagome has told me about you turning human, but this is the first time I'm seeing it with my own eyes. "

Inuyasha only bobbed his head at her statement, making it obvious that he didn't know how else to react. Kagome chuckled at Inuyasha's awkward expression as she kept the items where it belonged.

"Thank you for helping, dear." Mama joined her and took out the items too. All of a sudden, she gasped before slapping her forehead. "Oh dear! I totally forgot to buy ramen. I knew I should've gotten those first." Her mother sighed. "It seems I'll be going back to the supermarket."

Kagome had an idea, which involves dragging Inuyasha. She placed a hand over her mother's shoulder and gave her a reassuring grin. "Don't worry, Mama. Inuyasha and I will go."

Her mother was surprised. "Are you sure you want to go? I mean, I'm fine with running back to the grocery store."

Inuyasha gave a disapproving grunt at the couch as a sign of protest. Kagome giggled. "I mean, Inuyasha _is_ human tonight. He can freely walk around without having to wear the cap. I'm sure he wants to take a stroll with me," Kagome looked at said half-demon, "right?"

Inuyasha narrowed his eyes and shook his head. Mama laughed when Kagome urged the half-demon to follow her. At last, after several pleads, the half-demon gave in and got off the couch. Kagome had a wide grin on her face as Inuyasha headed towards the door.

"We'll be back soon!" Kagome announced.

"Alright. Stay safe you two!"

Kagome had no idea that Mama was actually worried about the duo's safety. The dangers in the Modern Era weren't any different than the dangers in the Feudal Era. But Mama reassured herself that Inuyasha was with Kagome. Even in his human form, Kagome had told her many times that he had saved her life when he was human. Besides, they were just heading to the supermarket. The road there usually had people passing by, so she shouldn't be worried.

So everything should be fine... right?

* * *

"Finally, we can head out together," Kagome said as she interlocked her arm with Inuyasha's. She was surprised to find Inuyasha tolerating with the action. She looked at his face and found him smiling a little. She grinned. "You've been so sick these past few days. I'm sure you would like some fresh air."

He gave a look of annoyance before shaking his head.

Kagome chuckled. "Maybe not. But _I_ want you to have some fresh air." All of a sudden, her expression turned sour. "I was so worried you would die. I know Kaede said that you wouldn't die, but seeing how many times you've vomitted... I was sure your body wouldn't be able to handle it."

She stared down at her feet. Her vision was momentarily blurry as she felt like crying. She could see through the corner of her eye that Inuyasha was looking at her, but she ignored him. Quickly, she wiped the tears with her arm and looked up to him.

"I'm glad you're finally better," Kagome said with a small smile. "And... I'm so, so sorry that I wished for something so horrible to happen to you. I promise, I didn't mean to! I was just so angry–"

Her words were cut off when Inuyasha placed his index finger on her lips, successfully silencing her. She gazed at him, meeting him in the eye. He looked at her thoughtfully, as if wanting to say something. At last, he moved his mouth slowly so that she could read what he was saying.

 _Not. Your. Fault._

"But–"

He silenced her again and moved his lips.

 _I. Said. Mean. Things. To you._

"But you were sick! And you're the type to be easily annoyed, of course you would–"

 _Stop. It was. My fault._

She clenched her fists. Exhaling deeply, she looked up to him. "If I can't blame myself, then so can't you. Do you understand?"

The corner of his lips twitched upwards in amusement as he nodded. Seeing the given opportunity, Kagome took this moment to tiptoe and give Inuyasha a light kiss on his lips. His body tensed at her action and she giggled when his face turned red.

"We'll save the real kiss when you return back to your half-demon form," Kagome teased.

His face turned a darker shade of crimson, and she had to hold back a laugh at the sight of his face.

"Woah, congrats man!"

Kagome stiffened when she turned her head and found a guy standing beside them. He was holding his phone in his hand, the wire from his earphones attached to it. He was currently waggling his eyebrows with a large, knowing grin on his face. In an instant, Kagome's face was flushed just like Inuyasha's. The man laughed before waving goodbye.

Okay, Kagome had totally forgotten that there were people passing by.

She pinched the bridge of her nose before looking what was lying ahead of her. Across the road was the grocery store; its sign glowing under the night sky. Trying to forget her embarrassment, she started crossing the road, calling Inuyasha to come and follow her.

Suddenly, she spotted light flashing towards her. She whipped her head to the side and found a car moving straight at her direction. On impulse, she screamed and raised her hands in front of her face as if it would protect herself from the incoming crash. Before she knew it, she was forcefully pushed aside, her body crashing on the hard pavement.

There was the sound of tires screeching, followed by a loud _thud_. Her heart skipped a beat when she pushed herself up. Her eyes widened when Inuyasha was lying on the road, his blooding pooling around him.

Oh gods.

No. No, no, no, _no_!

" _Inuyasha_!"

* * *

 _ **A/N:** For your information, the ending is the whole reason why I wrote this story. *laughs like a maniac in the background*_


End file.
